Pros

Cons

Best Explorer Yet —
This is my 2nd Explorer,I still have the '97 which has 100k miles on it and is running great. I don't like the iac control on the 97 and the rough idle/clicking noise it's had forever.
The new Eddie Bauer v8 is nearly perfect,quiet,smooth,classy interior,good power and stability towing and cornering. The exterior looks great and as a heavy duty towing vehicle should. The leather seats are comfortable and my wife loves the adjustable pedals/seat with memory.
Here it is 2014 and my 08 Explorer is 6 years old this month.Drive it to Florida every winter for 6 months and the rest of the time in Wisconsin.Love the V8 even though it's a gas hog.Great for pulling boats,interstate driving ,carrying up to 7 people.
Had many people offer to buy it since it was the last of the Exp. V8's. Not ready to sell with only 52k miles on it.
May,2015
My 2008 Explorer is 8 years old this month and has 63000 miles on it. It runs great and gives us peace and comfort traveling back and forth to Florida every winter. Other than brake pads, I had to replace the serpent belt and a couple of pulleys. This vehicle is right up there with the best I have ever owned.

Pros

Better fuel economy than earlier models .Nice sleek classic ford appearance. Its got a FRAME, not a unibody crumple zone hit it once total it out body.

Cons

the valve body in the transmission IS an issue with this vehicle at 63000 miles. SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL - C'mon FORD !the ignition barrel ALSO is an issue- key sticking, freezing in ignition, also at 63000 miles ... seriously SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL

75

Other Than The Two Things That Seem To Go On All Of Them -- Pretty Dam Good 4x4 —
I dont like the fact that Ford didnt recall the vave body on the transmission. Its ridicuous to have this go at 63000 to the tune of a 1000.00 repair ....
There is a SERIOUS ignition issue, where the barrel either freezes with the key in it, freezes and doesnt allow the ignition to turn, or triggers the courtesy features, which sends the seat flying back and the interior lights to come on. Imagine this happening on a rainy or snowy night with an inexperienced driver... yep deadly as a chevy cobalt ignition.

Pros

SpaceRide & ComfortPeppy V6Good HandlingGood 4WD System

Cons

MPG'sStandard RWDCheap Plastics

75

Good Show..!! —
Good Show..!! I Haven't Made A Repair Yet. Its Fun, & Has Pretty Good Pick Up. I
Have A 4WD V6 & I Love Him.. MPG's Are Bad, But That's The Sacrifice You Make
With A Big SUV. Visibility Is Great. Built Ford Tough.

Pros

Spacious interior with many standard upgrades to give the feel of luxury SUV. Acceleration was good/smooth, road noise was minimal, and smooth ride for a SUV.

Cons

Illuminated vanity mirror covers break easily

20

Great Family Car! —
Overall, a very good SUV. Great power/performance, very good towing capacity/capability, lots of interior room, nice styling. It's great SUV because it has everything I need. The V6 is just enough for me, I mainly do city driving. I like the leather quality on the seats. It is very quiet and I love the comfort on the 2nd row.

Pros

Great build quality, good gas mileage for a vehicle its size, comfortable, very attractive

Cons

Not extremely powerful

45

Great Buy, Great Family Vehicle —
The Explorer is a great buy. No problems, the quality is great. The performance is fine for everyday driving, nothing you would take to the drag strip though. Fun to drive, very comfortable. Sync is awesome. It's also a great looking vehicle that looks great in a parking lot at the mall, or on a dirt road. I'm averaging 19 MPG in mixed driving. Overall, I am very impressed and pleased with the Ford Explorer.

Pros

Its a ford.

Cons

I have 49 payments left.

45

A Quality, 5 Star Rated Car That Runs Like A Champ. —
Inside appearance overall is nice. Real sleek and clean, I have a black interior. Black exterior, all black wish it had a little more chrome coloring besides the grill but then again that's why they have upgrades. Accerlerates pretty decent for the V6, Handles great, and is quiet as can be. Gas Mileage is about 17mpg right now. Better in the summer worse, in the winter.

Pros

V8 Engine, exterior and towing capacity.

Cons

Fuel efficiency, and interior is all plastic and cheap leather.

45

Its Better Then The Old One. —
athletic V8 engine but interior is mostly plastic. The exterior looks good, but the headdlights are a bit wide-eyed. This car is good for towing and a good family car for seven. Fuel efficiency is a weakness for the explorer it takes way more then any other V8 in its class.

Pros

Got a lot of pick me up, fun to drive, plenty of room

Cons

Just a Ford, but, a nice one....and it doesn't take Premium!!! YEAH, been there, done that with a Land Rover, what a pain

65

Gas Guzzler...recommend A V6 Over 8, But, Not By Much! —
Looking for plenty of room for all the kiddies or extra people, fun to drive and "cheaper" on the pocketbook over other SUV's? This was a good middle ground. Was looking at the BMW X5, Volvo, Audi and Tahoe, the Explorer won out over these - takes Regular Gas instead of Premium a big ++. Get's about 15-17 MPG, so, not great, but, okay for a V8. Has a lot of pick me up and certain color packages look really good. Got the Silver Vapor, really like it! And, to top it off, much cheaper to fix over a high end SUV, which will come into play later on....

Pros

Its safer than a KIA

Cons

They're junk!

35

Ford Explorers (exploders) Are Junk —
I work at an Autoparts store, and let me tell you, I see more Ford Exploders and Chevy Crapaliers in there than anything else. Ford is notorious for using 20 different styles of brakes on these vehicles making it very difficult for the do-it-yourselfers. Personally if I had a choice between getting a new Explorer or a bicycle with a flat tire, I'd pick the bike any day of the week

Reviews From Other Years

Number 1 SuvBy jrl559

The Ford Explorer is the best looking (inside and out) and driving SUV on the road today! All Around Great Performance and absolutely a pleasure to drive on any roadways. Very comfortable interior and...
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Top Of The LineBy scottbr

After driving the new Ford Explorer sport for the first time about six months ago, it has to be the best SUV on the market. The performance of the 3.5L twin turbo 365 HP engine is second to none. The ...
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Super All-around Suv!By Kpecot

Great family SUV. Lots of cargo room and passenger comforts. Love the leather, roof rack and 4WD upgrades as well as SYNC and Bluetooth features. Drives nice, solid handling. Liked it so much, getting...
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Super Suv!By Kpecot

Loved this SUV. In fact, I'm getting another one (2014 or 2015)! Preferred to drive it over our second car, which is a sporty and fun-to-drive 300Z. Leather and 4WD a big plus but not "must haves". Li...
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The Ultimate Snowboarding Assault VehicleBy cargurusLV

What's the point of getting an SUV with 5-seats? That's just an oversized car that eats up more gas. That's why I got the Explorer. It has 7-seats and luxuriously appointed with a great tech convenien...
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Feels Good, Looks Good.By mikepetrey

Like the appearance and performance. Smooth riding SUV with all the luxuries. The air conditioning is very cold, the heat is very warm. All power features have always worked with no problems whatso...
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SportyBy lisser17

The room for my whole family in a reliable car. You will always get compliments on the ride and the look of the car. The convenience of the remote start is wonderful on hot and cold days! We love thi...
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Good Vehicle.By Ken

Could use a little more power. The 3.5L V6 is just not quite enough. However, I'm sure my mileage is much better than if it had a V8, so I'm not really complaining all that much. Otherwise, a very nic...
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Great Dependable Suv With All The Creature Comforts You Need.By SS131

What I love about this car is that it has the power third row seating which makes it very easy to accommodate more passengers with the touch of a button.Beautiful interior color combo and the Ford syn...
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Lots Of Toys On The Limited AwdBy goldy

Accelerator responsiveness with the 6 speed transmission and the v8 is lousy. The 6 speed wants to be in 2nd when starting and shifts very quickly to 6th even when going only 30mph.6 speed is only goo...
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